Database and Journal Cancellations
Every year, Auraria Library reviews resource subscriptions and negotiates with publishers and vendors to provide access to resources that help with learning, teaching, and research on Auraria campus. The primary goal of the library’s review and cancellation process is to determine which resources are not heavily used, which resources’ costs have risen at an unsustainable rate, and if needs on campus have changed.
Over 80% of the Library’s Learning Materials budget is allocated to ongoing journal packages and databases (subscriptions) that have 5-6% average price increases each year. The price increases diminish our purchasing power and creates a severe imbalance in our effort to maintain access to everything our users need. Strategies, including price negotiations, memorandums of understanding (MOUs), small cancellations, and grants, have been used to mitigate these annual increases; however, with our library materials budget remaining mostly unchanged for a decade, Auraria Library needs to cancel subscriptions most years. Cancellations during normal years cover publisher price increases not a major budget cut.
Before we cancel a resource, we try to gather feedback from students, staff, instructors, and faculty; however, sometimes time is short or funding from an outside source ends.
Information we review when deciding to renew or cancel a subscription:
- The cost and price history of the journal.
- The use of the journal over the most recent years.
- Whether and where a journal is indexed.
- Campus interest in and opinion about the database or journal.
- Accessibility of the resource.
- Ethical concerns related to companies we can purchase the journal or database from.
